Resources

“The purpose of the SDA reference group is to represent participants, providers, investors and other key stakeholders, and to support and promote the development of the SDA market as we implement reforms announced in February, improving choice and control for participants.

THE latest addition to central Geelong’s skyline and economy is officially open, with the headquarters for the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) now up and running. The NDIA is the agency responsible for administering the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the headquarters leads by example when it comes to accessibility, including wider access to accommodate wheelchairs and scooters, self-opening and closing doors to cater for staff with varying abilities, integrated braille signage, meeting rooms with hearing loops and kitchens with accessible sinks.

Before the NDIS came into our lives, my family and I consumed disability supports without having any idea of their monetary value. That all changed with our first Plan. It was not long before I had my first case of ‘sticker shock’- the feeling of dismay that potential buyers like myself can experience when they become aware of the high price of a product or service.

In times of massive change it is an organisation’s culture that holds it together or splits it apart. It is culture, not pricing, that should determine the working environment: whether rosters are fair, whether workplaces are safe, and whether a quality service is being delivered to the customer.

A new survey analysis of the psychological working environment in Australia’s health sector points to a sharp divide between the poorer conditions faced by disability and aged care support workers, and the largely professional healthcare workforce of doctors and nurses.

A Cordeaux Heights couple is devastated after their little girl’s funding package was slashed by 75 per cent under the NDIS. “The NDIS was meant to help people with severe disabilities and their carers. But you spend so much time on paperwork, and then to get a decision like this with no explanation, it’s hard to take.

The parents of a quadriplegic man say they were left “distraught”, “broken”, and “completely traumatised” by the process of obtaining funding through the NDIS, which they say unnecessarily extended their son’s stay in hospital by at least six months.

The NDIS has an arrangement with Vision Australia to provide people who have a visual disability with communication in an accessible form such as braille, audio recordings and electronic letters that can be read via text to voice software. But the problem is that not every person who is blind and with the NDIS and the NDIA gets accessible communication as a first option. Some people are still getting letters in the mail that are impossible to read.

This grant round seeks innovative proposals that build the capacity of people with disability to participate in work, while also supporting employers to create opportunities for people with disability. The goal of this funding is to build employer demand through things such as localised community awareness, resources and training. It also assists employers to build their capacity to create employment opportunities for people with disability.

Reading Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) cases is really important but can also be quite intimidating. Some cases can be up to 100 pages long. So, knowing how to quickly find the information you need to change a participant’s life can make all the difference. This blog outlines some tips for reading AAT rulings.

A paper on the vision of the National Disability Strategy and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in relation to people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

A 10 point plan for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the National Disability Strategy in relation to disability inequity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. This updates the original plan of 2013 to include all First Peoples with disability.